There’s nothing like an economic recession to remind people of the importance of saving money. For the past few years more and more people have realized the value of having — and sticking to — a budget. They’ve also realized that the spending habits of the previous twenty-five years don’t cut it anymore. They need to learn how to cut their household expenses and learn to live more frugally.

One of the best ways for families to save money is to start brown bagging their lunches — this applies to the parents as well as the children. With careful planning, dinner can be made large enough to allow everyone to take leftovers to lunch the next day. There are thrift stores and dollar stores in almost every city that sell food storage containers for a fraction of the cost of department stores.

Another major source of savings is using coupons. Most shoppers know about grocery coupons and store savings programs. However, pretty much every type of retail store offers their own discounts. Going shopping with Kohls coupons , a Staples rewards card and coupons for clothing, household items, and even tools and electronics can have a huge impact on a household’s bottom line.

Other suggestions for saving money involve taking advantage of freebies. Why rent a DVD or buy a book when there are public libraries everywhere? Many libraries even offer ebook loans and have books on CD to check out. Other freebies to look into are free concert series at colleges, parks, and other locations, free cultural festivals that can provide an outing for the whole family, and free days at local musuems.